2012 was a massive year for the Dutch duo Firebeatz, Jurgio Ratello and Tim Benjamin. Their track with Chocolate Puma, “Just One More Time,” was a big Beatport hit and gained massive support from Pete Tong. A slew of solid remixes, including Pink’s “Blow Me,” has expanded their reach from the underground to the mainstream. With so much going, they were quite in demand during the Amsterdam Dance Event, and I caught up with them for a quick chat.

RS: How did the two of you meet up?Jurgio Ratello: We met at School of Rock in Tilburg.

RS: Were you DJs first or producers?Tim Benjamin: I was a DJ first and played music, and then I started to create the sounds that I played. In the beginning, it was mostly drum and bass/hip-hop stuff. Later on when we met at school, it was more house music and that genre.Jurgio: I started DJing first and was more into the original house sound. That is where we get this unique combination of all different influences.